When the final round of the 2025 U.S. Open began at Oakmont on Sunday, it looked like there was less than a handful of players who could realistically lift the trophy on Sunday evening.
By the time the players endured a 96-minute weather delay late in the afternoon though, the U.S. Open had become a war of attrition. With six holes remaining for the final twosome, five players were tied for the lead, which had dropped to one over par.
The U.S. Open leaderboard is currently so crowded, a playoff seems not only possible but likely. So how is the U.S. Open champion determined if there is a tie at the end of regulation?
How the U.S. Open’s playoff works
The U.S. Open’s playoff format uses a two-hole aggregate, followed by sudden death. Any players tied at the end of play on Sunday would begin the playoff on the par-4 17th hole, followed by the par-4 18th. The lowest score for those two holes wins. If players remain tied after the two-hole aggregate, sudden death will begin on hole No. 15, and continue through 18 if needed.
Ties at the U.S. Open used to be decided by an 18-hole playoff. The last time the U.S. Open was won in a playoff was in 2008, when Tiger Woods defeated Rocco Mediate at Torrey Pines. The USGA updated the U.S. Open’s playoff format to the aggregate/sudden death format in 2018, but it has not been needed — yet.